Device for softening shoe uppers



Feb. 14, 1928. 1,659,503

J. J. VACHON DEVICE FOR SOFTENING SHOE UPPERS Filed May 10. 1926' 2 SheetsSheet 1 d Zlwventoz azifiii Wat/w amazon,

Feb. 14,1928.

' J. J. VACHON DEVICE FOR SOFTENING snoz: UPPERS Filed May 10, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 B'iafk c/asepb 1/, Vat/1 x m l 6 e Patented Feb. 14, 1928.

UNITED STA TES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH J'. VACHON OE SHAPLEIGH MAINE.

ZDEVICE FOB SOFTENING SHOE UPPERS.

Application filed May 10,

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in devices for soften ing the toe portions of shoe uppers, and has more particular reference to devices of the type set forth in the U. S. Letters Patent to a J. Mullins, No. 1,247,312, dated November 20, 1917, wherein the softening is effected brittle or burning it, and in the case of certain other leathers, discoloring it. Another disadvantage is that the steam also attacks the leather inner-soles of the shoes and renders them brittle andin many cases unfit for use, thus causing objectionable damage and loss. a U j 1 a The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improvedguard for preventing subjection of the toe portion of the shoe upper and inner-sole to a direct blast of steam, but permitting the steam to sufliciently heat and moisten the toe portion of the upper for softening the same, whereby theabove disadvantages are eifectlvely overcome, a j i A further object is to provide aguard of the above kind which is extremely simple in construction and effective in operation.

Other objects will become apparent as the natureof the invention is better understood, and the same consists in the novel form, combination and, arrangement of parts herelnafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a

Figure lfiis a front elevational View of a shoe upper so'ften'ingdevice equipped with guards or steam deflectors constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken substantiallyupon line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken substantially upon line 33 of Figure l; and Figure iis a vertical section taken substantially upon line 44of Figure 3;

The shoe upper softening device herein shown is generally of somewhat similar construmien to that disclosed in the above new 1926. SeriaI No. 108,132.

tioned Mullins patent, and includes an elongated box or casing 5 composed of vertical t'rontfand rear walls, vertical end walls, a

top wall and a rearwardly and downwardly inclined bottom wall. 'In the front wall is an opening (informed to permit the insertion in the casing of the toe portions of two or more incomplete inverted shoes 7, each including a partly lasted upper, the toe portion of which is not lasted, means being provided forsupporting said shoes in side by sideirelation. This supporting means embodies a. wooden bar 8 removably fittedlin a socket, provided in the front wall of the casing along the lower edge of the opening 6,

suchwoode'n bar constituting a shoe rest and having a plurality of arcuate recesses in its upper edge as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 3. The toe portions of; the inverted shoes are adapted to rest in these recesses as clearly indicated in Figure 3, whereby the shoes are effectively supported in proper position when the rear portions of the shoe uppers are engaged with and disposed between. proper pairs of forwardly projecting wire'arms 9 constituting supplemental shoe supports or racks. As shown, the horizontal wire arms 9 project from the front of the casing in spaced parallel relation and are disposed at a of the opening 6. i v

The chamber of the box or casing 5 constitutes a steam chamber, and a perforated steam pipe 10 is disposed in the-lower portion of the box or casing for supplying the steam to the chamber and has its steamldepoint below the lower edge liveryperforations 10 presented in a downward direction toward the bottom of the chamber. A rigid foraminous partition 11 1S mounted in the casing above the pipe 10 and supports a filling of fibrous, material, a

such as cotton waste, as indicated at .12. A steam outlet or exhaust 13 is provided in the top of the casing and it is thus evident that the steam escaping from the pipe 10 will impinge upon the bottom of the casing and be deflected to pass upwardly through the a partition orplate 11 andfilling 12 ,and will then as; the toe portion ofthe shoeto be softened in its passage into and, out ofthe exhaust 13. I

As in the patent above referredto, an -inclined deflector plate 14 is mounted in the casing with its lower edge resting against the rear wall of the casing, and whereby to lead water f condensation from the exhaust or outlet 13 to'wardthe back of the casing and away from the shoe. As shown, the deflector plate 14 is suspended from a horizontal elevated rod 15 the ends of which are supported by the ends of the casing. A suitable fibrous filling of cotton waste or the like is also preferably provided between the deflector plate 14 and the rear wall of the casing as indicated at 16.

A flexible porous apron of cheese cloth or the like, as indicated at 17, is suspended from the rod 15 or the upper edge of the deflector plate 1 1 and has its lower portion extended forwardly and attached to the front wall of the casing beneath the lower side of the opening 6. However, this apron is disposed to lie out of contact with the toe portion of the shoe upper instead of being disposed to contact with the upper as set forth in the above mentioned Mullins patent, and the filling of fibrous material at 12 is simply disposed in a layer upon the plate 11 entirely below and out of contact with the apron 17 so that said filling 12 and apron 17 do not support the shoe as in said patent.

In accordance with the present invention an imperforate metallic flange 18 is rigidly attached to the front wall of the casing so as to project inwardly coincident with but below each recess of the shoe rest bar 8. Each flange 18 is preferably formed as an integral part of a metal plate the outer end of which is shaped to fit the adjacent recess of the bar 8 and abut the upperedge ofthe bar 8 as shown clearly in Figures 1 and 3, the plates being attached by nails 19 or the like driven therethrough into the wooden bar 8 as shown clearly in Figure 2. It will be noted that the flanges 18 are slightly shorter than the toe portions of the shoes and are transversely of downwardly curved or arcuate shape so that the rising steamwill be deflected out of direct contact with the toe portion of the shoe upper, both rearwardly and laterally, respectively at the ends and sides of such toe portion of the upper. By reason of the fact that the flanges 18 are spaced slightly below the surfaces of the recesses in the bar 8, said flanges will lie out of contact with and below the inwardlyprojecting toe portions of the uppers as indicated in Figure The present guard also includes a coinparatively rigid curved foraminous metal screen 20, preferably of wire fabric, associated with each flange 18, the screen 20 being attached at its lower end to the inner side ofthe front wall of the casing directly be nea'th the associated flange 18 andextending rearwardly and then upwardly to a point adjacent the top of the casing so as to lie entirely out of contact with the toe portion of the adjacent shoe being treated. The screens 20 are disposed directly in front or the apron 17 so that the latter contacts the rear sides of said screens 20 and is thereby held in .rearwardly and upwardly curved shape as shown clearly in Figure 3 so as to also be held out of contact with the toe portions of the shoes being treated. When the present guards are employed in a structure as illustrated including the horizontal elevated rod 15, the screens 20 are preferably provided at their upper ends and adjacent the respective sides of the same with wire hooks 21 or the like adapted to engage over the rod 15 for supporting the screens 20 at their upper ends. In this way the upper ends of the screens may be detached from the rod 15 if found desirable to remove the water of condensation deflector plate 14; or to gain access to the portion of the steam chamber behind said plate 1 1. This manner of supporting the upper ends of the screens 20 is also of an effective and simple nature and of value in facilitating assembling of the guards in the steam box.

In operation steam is admitted under pressure into the pipe 10 and, issuing through the perforations 10, will be directed against the bottom wall of the casing 5 and be deflected by this wall in an upward and forward direction. The steam will then pass through the relatively large perforations in the plate 11 and upwardly through the filling 12 of fibrous material. While the steam is under pressure, it is not at this time in the form of a blast but enters the portion of the casing, above the plate lland filling 12 and in front of the deflector plate 14, in a more or less quiescent state and permeates the line meshes of the cheesecloth apron 17 and reaches the toe portions of the uppers of the shoes in the form of a quiescent moist vapor, still retaining its heat and thus being in condition to act in a gentle and'yet efficient manner to soften the said portions of the shoe uppers.

It has been found that by providing a steam box with guards composed of the flanges 18 and screen plates 20 as outlined above, such guards do not interfere-in any objectionable way with the purpose of the steam box, i. e., to soften and render the toe portions of the shoe uppers flexible and pliable. It has also been found that these guards effectively prevent damage to the upper leather and the inner soles of the shoes, as well as preventing discoloration of the upper leather or fabric.

From the foregoing description it is believed that the construction and operation of the present invention will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Minor changes may be made Without def parting from the spirit and scope of the in vention as claimed.

V hat I claim as new is 1. A shoe-upper softening device comprising a chamber having a shoe-receiving opening in its front wall, a shoe-upper rest at the lower side of the opening, a perforated plate supported in the chamber above the bottom of the chamber and in a plane below the lower side of the opening a steam supply pipe estendinginto the chamber between the bottom thereof and the said plate and located adjacent the rear wall of the chamher and having steam delivery perforations presented downwardly toward the said bottom of the chamber, whereby the jets of steam from said openings Wlll implnge against the said bottom and be deflected up 2. A shoe-upper softening device com prising a chamber having a shoe-receiving opening in its front Wall, a shoe-upper rest at the lower side of the opening, a perforated plate supported in the chamberabove the bottom of the chamber and in a plane below the said lower side of the opening, a steam supply pipe extending into the chamber between the bottom thereof and the said plate and located adjacent the rear wall of the chamber and having steam delivery perforations presented downwardly toward the said bottom of the chamber, whereby the jetsof steam from the openings willimpinge against the said bottom and be deflected upwardly and forwardly, a layer of fibrous material upon the said perforated plate, a sheet of relatively rigid mesh material extending from the said front wall of the chamber below the lower side of the opening therein and rearwardly and thence upwardly, a deflector within the chamber inclined upwardly from the rear side of the said plate and terminatin short of the top of the chamber, thesaid sheet of mesh material being supported at its upper edge by the upper edge of the said deflector, and a sheet of porous cloth material extending over the said sheet of mesh material at the under and rear sides thereof.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOSEPH J. VACHON. 

